Who's afraid of meditation?

It has become an enduring fad: meditation, an age-old practice present in all religions, has made its way into the Western world via an American medical professor, Jon Kabat-Zinn. He is the "inventor" of secular meditation, known as "mindfulness", and of the MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) programs. What does mindfulness propose? Simply to focus on breathing and the present moment. In hospitals, schools and businesses, this practice is gaining increasing support. But it also arouses criticism, fear and resistance. With good reason?